The middle jewel of the Triple Crown 2022, the 147th Preakness Stakes, will take place on Saturday at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The derby starts on 7:01 PM ET. 

With Rich Strike, the colt that won the Kentucky Derby earlier this month, out of the race, runner-up Epicenter was set Monday as the 6-5 morning line favorite. 

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Rich Strike’s owner Rich Dawson last week said that the American Thoroughbred racehorse was being given a five-week rest. This means, horse racing will not have a Triple Crown winner for a fourth consecutive year.

“It’s very, very tempting to alter our course and run in the Preakness at Pimlico, which would be a great honor for all our group. However, after much discussion and consideration … we are going to stay with our plan of what’s best for Ritchie,”  Dawson said in a news release. 

The Preakness Stakes first held a derby in 1873. It was named after New Jersey-bred horse that won the Dinner Party Stakes at the track in its opening year, 1870. The second jewel of the Triple Crown is held on the third Saturday of May. 

Also read: Rich Strike to Country House: Biggest upsets in Kentucky Derby history

The track is 1 3/16 miles – the shortest of the Triple Crown races. It features a maximum of 14 horses. 

In 2019, neither DQ’ed Derby champion Maximum Security nor elevated winner Country House went to the Preakness. In 2020, the derby was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, winner Medina Spirit had tested positive at Churchill Downs for a substance that was not allowed on race day and was eventually disqualified

This time, Steve Asmussen-trained Epicenter, who drew the No. 8 post, fourth-place finisher Simplification and 14th-place finisher Happy Jack are the only horses back for the Preakness from the Derby, which Rich Strike won with a furious charge down the stretch.